Press Release: Gov. Evers, WisDOT Announce First Round of 2025-27 Agricultural Roads Improvement Program Grant Applications to Open October 6

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 09/24/2025 05:00 AM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 24, 2025
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers, WisDOT Announce First Round of 2025-27 Agricultural Roads Improvement Program Grant Applications to Open October 6
Governor secured $150 million in 2025-27 Biennial Budget to continue successful program to improve local roads used by farmers, producers, and agricultural industries 
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), today announced the first round of Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP) grants funded by the 2025-27 Biennial Budget will open for application on Mon., Oct. 6, 2025. This application period will distribute $50 million in ARIP funding to support projects across the state focused on improving rural roads and culverts that are critical to moving and transporting agricultural and forestry products efficiently and effectively across the state.  

The 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers included $150 million to continue this highly successful program created by Gov. Evers in 2023. $30 million of this investment will be specifically targeted to bridge and culvert repair through the separate Local Bridge and Culvert Improvement Program, to help improve and repair deteriorating culverts and bridges across the state. WisDOT is developing those program materials which are expected to be available in the coming months.

“Ensuring our farmers and producers can safely and efficiently transport their products is critical to the success of Wisconsin’s $116 billion agricultural industry, which is critically important for our economy and a core part of our culture and heritage,” said Gov. Evers. “Since I created the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program in 2023, this program has been incredibly successful in ensuring those who make up Wisconsin’s agriculture industry have safe and reliable infrastructure, supporting 91 projects in rural communities across our state, and I was proud to secure this additional funding to continue this critical program in our bipartisan budget so we can ensure Wisconsin agriculture remains on top.”  

In June 2023, Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 13 to expand the Local Roads Improvement Program to include agricultural road improvement projects. Weeks later, in July 2023, Gov. Evers signed the 2023-25 biennial budget, which provided $150 million for ARIP to improve the transportation infrastructure that provides access to agricultural lands or facilities. Since its creation, ARIP has funded 91 projects across the state that are helping improve and repair rural roads in 48 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties.

“We’ve made a lot of progress over the past six years improving Wisconsin’s roads, but our work is not done,” said WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman. “There’s still tremendous need to update our rural roads, not only for our agricultural industries, but for the safety of the people who live in these communities. This program is vital for our rural infrastructure, and we encourage local municipalities to apply for this funding to help make needed improvements.”

Housed under the Local Roads Improvement Program at WisDOT, ARIP is a reimbursement program that may pay up to a maximum of 90 percent of total eligible project costs, with the balance of the eligible costs funded by the local unit of government.  

The 2025 round one ARIP solicitation application period will distribute $50 million in ARIP funding. Unsuccessful project applicants from round one will have the opportunity to advance their application for award consideration in round two, where $70 million will be available for eligible projects. Round two solicitation is anticipated to begin in early calendar year 2026.

To be eligible for funding, projects must meet the following criteria:
  • The project highway, or the highway where the bridge or culvert is located, is functionally classified by the department as a local road or minor collector.
  • The project is solely for the improvement of a bridge or culvert, the bridge or culvert is 20-feet or less in length and is not eligible for funding under a federal program that provides funding for bridge improvements.
  • The highway, bridge, or culvert provides access to agricultural lands or facilities used to produce agricultural goods, including forest products, and is used by at least one agricultural producer.
  • The highway or highway on which the bridge or culvert is located is designated as a class “B” highway due to structural deficiencies or is subject to a posted weight limitation at least annually.
  • After the improvement, the highway will not be designated as a class “B” highway and will not be subject to a posted weight limitation other than under extraordinary or emergency circumstances.
  • The highway, bridge or culvert is maintained by a political subdivision.
WisDOT will release a video tutorial for the first solicitation on the WisDOT ARIP Program Webpage on Mon., Oct. 6, 2025. WisDOT will notify municipalities regarding the availability of ARIP training opportunities in the future, along with any other important dates and deadlines. 

Applications for round one must be submitted to WisDOT by Mon., Dec. 15, 2025, at 5 p.m. Projects awarded in the first round are anticipated to be announced in Spring 2026. 

Local government officials with questions about ARIP can contact WisDOT ARIP Program Manager Hillary Pelton at hillary.pelton@dot.wi.gov or 608-261-4443.

ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS IN THE 2025-27 BIENNIAL BUDGET TO IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORT WISCONSIN FARMERS AND AGRICULTURE 

After years of neglect under the previous administration, Gov. Evers has made fixing Wisconsin’s roads and bridges and making sure the state’s infrastructure can meet the needs of a 21st-century workforce and a 21st-century economy a top priority. Since 2019, under his administration, the state has improved more than 8,600 miles of roads and 2,000 bridges statewide. In fact, Wisconsinites could drive from Wausau, Wisconsin, to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and back three times on the number of miles of roads fixed. In each of his biennial budgets, Gov. Evers has secured historic investments in Wisconsin’s transportation infrastructure, and improving Wisconsin’s roads and bridges continued to be a priority for the governor in this budget.

Including funding for ARIP, the final 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers provides $1.1 billion in new funding for key transportation investments. This includes: 
  • Increasing General Transportation Aids (GTA) by three percent in both 2026 and 2027, which will provide municipalities with $33.2 million more over the biennium and counties with nearly $10 million over the biennium;
  • A historic increase of nearly $333 million over the biennium in the state highway rehabilitation program;  
  • $100 million for the Local Roads Improvement Program;  
  • $244.5 million to keep key projects, such as I-41 and I-39/90, on schedule;  
  • A 10 percent increase to paratransit aids, increasing funding by $687,600 over the biennium;  
  • Improving safety on Milwaukee County expressways with $38 million in expressway policing aids; and
  • $50 million for the harbor assistance program, including $15 million for the Menominee Harbor Project and $20 million for the Port of Green Bay.  
The 2025-27 Biennial Budget also improves ongoing transportation fund revenues by generating nearly $200 million in additional revenue to improve the sustainability of the transportation fund.

In addition to robust investments in transportation infrastructure statewide, the final 2025-27 Biennial Budget invests in local communities to ensure that they are able to address the unique needs of their constituents and bolster local infrastructure, including:
  • $50 million to fund building projects in local communities, providing grants to local governments and nonstate entities for local construction projects which serve a public, statewide purpose, such as clinics, arts centers and museums, public libraries, and more; and 
  • $14 million for local communities across the state through municipal service payments to ensure local communities have the resources they need to meet basic and unique needs alike. 
Additionally, Gov. Evers, over the past six years, has secured critical investments for farmers, producers, and their families, including supporting the state’s meat and dairy producers, investing in farmer mental health resources, and bolstering Wisconsin’s exports worldwide. Gov. Evers recognizes that Wisconsin’s $116 billion agricultural industry is as critical to the state economy as it is to Wisconsin’s heritage and culture, and ensuring its continued growth and success for generations to come will be critical to ensuring Wisconsin’s continued growth and success.    

Building upon efforts of the Evers Administration to date to support Wisconsin’s agricultural industry and proud heritage as “America’s Dairyland,” the 2025-27 Biennial Budget provides:   
  • $10 million to continue the Food Security Initiative, a program created by Gov. Evers that connects local nonprofit food assistance programs, such as food pantries, with local producers to keep shelves stocked;   
  • $3 million to continue the Tribal Elder Food Security program that helps Tribal elders access nutritious, culturally relevant food while supporting Wisconsin producers;  
  • $800,000 to increase the available funding for the successful Dairy Processor Grant Program;  
  • $1 million to bolster and support the Meat Processor Grant Program;  
  • Over $2.4 million over the biennium for the Meat Inspection Program to ensure meat products are produced safely and match nutrition labels;  
  • $200,000 to support farmers and their families’ mental health;  
  • $500,000 to increase funding for the Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant Program, which helps enable producers and producer-led groups to implement nonpoint source pollution abatement strategies to improve Wisconsin’s soil and water quality;   
  • $2 million to continue the commercial Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program, which aims to protect vital soil and water resources; and  
  • An additional $1.6 million to support the cover crop insurance program, which helps assists farmers with rebates of $5 per acre of a cover crop planted for crop insurance premiums paid on those acres. 
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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